Table 4.
Successful Treatment Effects for Pain Intensity by Study Among Participants With Chronic Low Back Pain
Abbreviations: NA, not applicable; NNT, number needed to treat.
| Intervention Group, No.With Treatment Success/Total No. (%) | Control Group, No. With Treatment Success/Total No. (%) | Relative Risk (95% CI)a | P Value | Risk Difference (95% CI) | NNT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facet Joint Trial | ||||||
| Pain intensity reduction >30% | ||||||
| 3 wk | 40/102 (39.22) | 27/100 (27.00) | 1.33 (0.80 to 1.97) | .25 | 12.22 (−0.65 to 25.08) | NA |
| 6 wk | 45/112 (40.17) | 36/114 (31.57) | 1.13 (0.70 to 1.63) | .59 | 8.60 (−3.86 to 21.06) | NA |
| 3 mo | 52/114 (45.61) | 40/111 (36.03) | 1.16 (0.76 to 1.60) | .46 | 9.58 (−3.20 to 22.36) | NA |
| 6 mo | 60/108 (55.56) | 53/105 (50.47) | 1.02 (0.71 to 1.33) | .88 | 5.09 (−8.31 to 18.47) | NA |
| 9 mo | 52/102 (50.98) | 50/102 (49.02) | 1.09 (0.75 to 1.42) | .60 | 1.88 (−11.76 to 15.68) | NA |
| 12 mo | 47/100 (47.00) | 53/99 (53.53) | 0.78 (0.50 to 1.09) | .16 | −6.53 (−20.40 to 7.33) | NA |
| Pain intensity reduction ≥2 points | ||||||
| 3 wk | 56/102 (54.90) | 44/100 (44.00) | 1.17 (0.81 to 1.53) | .36 | 10.90 (−2.81 to 24.61) | NA |
| 6 wk | 57/112 (50.89) | 47/114 (41.23) | 1.09 (0.74 to 1.46) | .65 | 9.66 (−3.27 to 22.60) | NA |
| 3 mo | 64/111 (57.65) | 52/111 (46.85) | 1.07 (0.75 to 1.39) | .68 | 10.80 (−2.25 to 23.87) | NA |
| 6 mo | 68/108 (62.96) | 61/105 (58.09) | 1.00 (0.73 to 1.25) | .98 | 4.84 (−8.25 to 17.98) | NA |
| 9 mo | 56/102 (54.90) | 58/102 (56.86) | 0.90 (0.62 to 1.17) | .47 | −1.96 (−15.59 to 11.66) | NA |
| 12 mo | 55/100 (55.00) | 55/99 (55.56) | 0.76 (0.49 to 1.05) | .11 | −0.56 (−14.37 to 13.26) | NA |
| Sacroiliac Joint Trial | ||||||
| Pain intensity reduction >30% | ||||||
| 3 wk | 41/90 (45.56) | 16/83 (19.27) | 2.35 (1.45 to 3.32) | .001 | 26.29 (12.94 to 39.62) | 4 |
| 6 wk | 43/104 (41.35) | 25/91 (27.47) | 1.49 (0.94 to 2.18) | .08 | 13.88 (0.69 to 27.05) | 7 |
| 3 mo | 48/105 (45.71) | 29/84 (34.52) | 1.33 (0.87 to 1.81) | .16 | 11.19 (−2.74 to 25.13) | NA |
| 6 mo | 50/99 (50.51) | 42/85 (49.41) | 1.01 (0.69 to 1.34) | .94 | 1.10 (−13.40 to 15.58) | NA |
| 9 mo | 39/98 (39.79) | 33/76 (43.42) | 0.88 (0.54 to 1.27) | .53 | −3.63 (−18.39 to 11.14) | NA |
| 12 mo | 48/97 (49.48) | 31/75 (41.33) | 1.15 (0.75 to 1.56) | .48 | 8.15 (−6.79 to 23.09) | NA |
| Pain intensity reduction ≥2 points | ||||||
| 3 wk | 56/90 (62.22) | 30/83 (36.14) | 1.68 (1.25 to 2.05) | .002 | 26.08 (11.68 to 40.47) | 4 |
| 6 wk | 59/104 (56.73) | 40/91 (43.95) | 1.29 (0.97 to 1.59) | .08 | 12.78 (−1.18 to 26.73) | NA |
| 3 mo | 62/105 (59.05) | 40/84 (47.61) | 1.25 (0.94 to 1.52) | .11 | 11.44 (−2.80 to 25.66) | NA |
| 6 mo | 61/99 (61.61) | 47/85 (55.29) | 1.12 (0.85 to 1.35) | .37 | 6.32 (−7.94 to 20.59) | NA |
| 9 mo | 51/98 (52.04) | 41/76 (53.95) | 0.96 (0.68 to 1.22) | .76 | −1.91 (−16.85 to 13.04) | NA |
| 12 mo | 57/97 (58.76) | 41/75 (54.67) | 1.04 (0.76 to 1.30) | .77 | 4.09 (−10.83 to 19.03) | NA |
| Combination Trial | ||||||
| Pain intensity reduction >30% | ||||||
| 3 wk | 23/75 (30.67) | 7/48 (14.58) | 2.39 (1.08 to 4.16) | .03 | 16.09 (1.64 to 30.53) | 6 |
| 6 wk | 32/88 (36.36) | 21/72 (29.17) | 1.16 (0.63 to 1.84) | .60 | 7.19 (−7.34 to 21.73) | NA |
| 3 mo | 43/86 (50.00) | 19/72 (26.38) | 1.92 (1.19 to 2.65) | .01 | 23.62 (8.94 to 38.28) | 4 |
| 6 mo | 36/82 (43.90) | 38/68 (55.88) | 0.77 (0.44 to 1.11) | .19 | −11.98 (−27.94 to 3.98) | NA |
| 9 mo | 38/81 (46.91) | 26/61 (42.62) | 1.05 (0.62 to 1.52) | .83 | 4.29 (−12.21 to 20.79) | NA |
| 12 mo | 37/75 (49.33) | 32/56 (57.14) | 0.86 (0.52 to 1.21) | .47 | −7.81 (−25.02 to 9.40) | NA |
| Pain intensity reduction ≥2 points | ||||||
| 3 wk | 32/75 (42.67) | 12/48 (25.00) | 1.67 (0.89 to 2.57) | .10 | 17.67 (1.04 to 34.26) | 5 |
| 6 wk | 44/88 (50.00) | 33/72 (45.83) | 0.96 (0.58 to 1.37) | .83 | 4.17 (−11.38 to 19.71) | NA |
| 3 mo | 48/86 (55.81) | 28/72 (38.88) | 1.32 (0.85 to 1.79) | .20 | 16.93 (1.53 to 32.32) | 5 |
| 6 mo | 49/82 (59.76) | 43/68 (63.23) | 0.91 (0.59 to 1.19) | .54 | −3.47 (−19.10 to 12.14) | NA |
| 9 mo | 48/81 (59.25) | 34/61 (55.73) | 0.98 (0.62 to 1.31) | .91 | 3.52 (−12.91 to 19.95) | NA |
| 12 mo | 41/75 (54.67) | 37/56 (66.07) | 0.80 (0.50 to 1.10) | .21 | −11.40 (−28.16 to 5.35) | NA |
aRelative risk was estimated based on the method of Zhang et al.